Product Description

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How can the gospel shape your life? What does it say about identity and purpose? Addressing basic questions of the human heart---"Who am I?" "Why am I here?" and "Where am I headed?"---Wilbourne encourages you to anchor yourself in Christ's life, death, and resurrection as you become transformed into his image and fulfill your God-ordained destiny. 320 pages, hardcover from Cook.

Publisher's Description

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Winner of the 2017 Christian Book Award for New Author Named one of the top books of 2016 by John Piper's Desiring God ministry To experience why the gospel is good news and answer lifes most foundational questions about identity, destiny, and purpose, we must understand what it means to be united to Christ.

If you are a Christian, the Bible says that Christ has united his life to yours, that you are now in Christ and Christ is in you. This almost unfathomable truth is the central theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Yet few Christians today experience or enjoy this reality. Union with Christ reveals the transformational power of this ancient doctrine while addressing the basic questions of the human heart:

Who Am I?

Why Am I Here?

Where Am I Headed?

How Will I Get There?

Nothing is more practical for living the Christian life than union with Christ. The recovery of this reality provides the anchor and engine for your life with Godfor your destiny is not only to see Christ, but to actually become like him.

Author Bio

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Rankin Wilbourne (M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary) is the pastor of Pacific Crossroads Church in Los Angeles. A former commercial banker, Rankin understands the "gap" between the gospel preached on Sunday and the world people face on Monday. Leading a thriving church in a city driven by imagination, hes concerned with practical theologydrawing connections between what we believe and how we live. Rankin and his wife, Morgen, reside in Los Angeles with their three children.

Editorial Reviews

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"Everyone seems to agree that union with Christ is a biblical teaching crucial to understanding and communicating the gospel, but preachers today do not give it the same emphasis that the New Testament does. One reason is that, unlike the new birth, justification, and adoption, it requires multiple metaphors to draw out its rich meaning. Rankin does so clearly and compellingly. This is simply the best book for laypeople on this subject. It is grounded in exegesis and theology and yet is lucid and supremely practical. While not unaware of the recent controversies about union and justification, which are briefly sketched in the endnotes, Rankin's whole concern is to make the biblical teaching accessible and applicable to the reader. He does this with excellence."

"I'm trying to remember the last time I was more excited about a new book or a new author. Rankin Wilbourne brings a remarkable flair for writing, and a great breadth and depth of learning, and a passionate heart, to the most important subject in the world: What is the true and sufficient destiny for human life? &hellip; Rankin does a masterful job of articulating what union with Christ consists of, how central it was to the writers of Scripture and to great thinkers through the centuries, why it has been lost in our day, and most importantly how to pursue it as a concrete reality in daily life for ordinary people. So that's why I'm excited for you to meet Rankin and enter a new world."

"This is the most accessible, helpful, best illustrated book on union with Christ I've ever read."

"Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God has a tone of urgency-it is important, important content-but is reasonable and lucid. It is helpful, trustworthy, interesting, and insightful, and I am glad to have found it. It deserves to be well known."

This was probably one of the best books I've read - practical, simple and yet deep so I had to take it slow. We all know that abiding in Christ is what keeps the relationship growing but we get discouraged easily due to various reasons. This book helped me in rediscovering that truth in a deeper and more practical way.

Union with Christ is an easy read about how as believers we can know and enjoy Jesus better in our day to day life. Wilbourne breaks the book down into different sections which allows the reader to better follow and what he is sharing. While not my favorite book on this subject, this is definitely a good resource for folks wanting to go deeper in this area.

Great explanation of what Union with Christ is and why it is important

October 16, 2016

JL

Quality:5

Value:5

Meets Expectations:5

Wilbourne writes, "One of the major arguments of this book is that union with Christ was once considered to be at the very heart of why the gospel is good news. Nothing is more basic or more central to the Christian life than union with Christ."

I would highly recommend this book because of the topic as well as a thorough treatment of the subject. The book is divided into four parts: Union with Christ: What is it and why do we need it; Union with Christ: Where did it come from? Where did it go?; Union with Christ: What problems does it solve?; and Union with Christ day by day.

Rankin Wilbourne does an excellent job explaining what union with Christ is and why it is important. His definition is union with Christ means you are in Christ and Christ is in you. For the rest of part one, he explains what it looks like to live in the gap between what we know and what we experience. I found Chapter 2 helpful and almost highlighted an entire page because of the good news there.

In Part 2, Wilbourne shows from Scripture where the idea of union with Christ is found. He also cites various people throughout church history and how they viewed union with Christ. Chapter 6 is helpful to explain why union with Christ is not understood or known about in the church. His reasons for this were helpful as I have found them to be true as I try to explain the concept to others.

In Part 3, Rankin discusses how union with Christ answers our deepest questions: Who am I?; Where am I headed?; What should I be doing?; and What can I hope for along the way? As one who often talks about our identity in Christ, I appreciated the chapter on identity. Wilbourne clearly points to how union with Christ is the root of our justification and our sanctification. The final chapter in this section cites how important staying focused on Christ is. He writes about Jesus being seated, being our sympathetic high priest, and that He is with us and for us along the way.

In Part 4 of Union with Christ, we see how union with Christ is important in our day to day lives. Wilbourne uses the image of abiding and what that includes. With a topic like union with Christ it is difficult to explain how to make it practical. Often most attempts fall flat as they focus too much on self and not enough on God. Wilbourne's perspective of abiding was helpful and kept the focus on Christ not the Christian.

If you "acknowledge the gap between the inheritance we've been given and our present experience of how we see ourselves," then Union With Christ is the book for you. I don't know that I have read any book on the subject that answered so many questions that I have been asking regarding the discrepancy between our knowledge of Christianity and our experience of it.

I received a free copy of Union With Christ by Rankin Wilbourne to be part of a blog tour for an honest review.

If you use your imagination, as the author suggests from the very beginning of this very challenging book, your life will never be the same again.

Rankin Wilbourne, commercial banker turned pastor of Pacific Crossroads Church in Los Angeles, California, recognizes the necessity of union with Christ. In his own words, As our understanding and appreciation of union with Christ has diminished, so too has our sense of what salvation means. We may know what we have been saved from, but have we lost sight of what we have been saved for?

1 Corinthians 1:9 declares, God is faithful; you were called by Him into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. And throughout scripture, we find example after example of individuals who recognized the necessity and the joy of this union.

Taking readers gently by the hand, author and pastor Rankin Wilbourne explores four questions as he tries to close the gap between the Creator and His creation: Union With Christ: What Is It, and Why Do We Need It; Where Did It Come From, and Where Did It Go?; What Problems Does It Solve?; and Union With Christ Day By Day.

Im writing this review, because the review is due today. But my journey is not complete. I havent finished the book. While I have been a believer for over 30 years, have a B.A. and M.Div. in Pastoral Studies, and am called to minister the gospel, I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone speak about our union with Christ as Pastor Wilbourne does.

He uses the illustration of the blind man from Bethsaida, who needed a second touch to completely cure his blindness. Thats where Im at with this book. Its long, 320 pages. Its challenging. Its not a coffee table book; its one that belongs in the serious study section of ones library. Its not a devotional. This is meat, and you are going to have to chew it.

Having said that, when you consider the spiritual plight of our nation, its about time a few more Christians grew up. The Apostle Paul lamented the fact that I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, because you are still fleshly." 1 Corinthians 3:2 3 (HCSB).

Please, get this book. Every believer needs to recognize the necessity of union with Christ. And I havent come across a better introduction to the subject than this book by Pastor Rankin Wilbourne.